


Woes of a Lovesick Black Widow

by squeaks



Series: Blackhill Beginnings [1]
Category: Marvel
Genre: F/F, Fluff, One Shot, blackhill - Freeform, maybe smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-22
Updated: 2016-11-12
Packaged: 2018-03-25 05:57:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3799417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squeaks/pseuds/squeaks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is one thing that the rigorous training of the Black Widow program didn't prepare Natasha for and that’s how to deal with her completely confused and smitten feelings for Maria Hill. Natasha stumbles and stutters her way along as she battles with asking her woman crush out on a date.  </p><p>This is a collection of unrelated one-shots, feel free to drop prompts :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Itsy Bitsy Slip Up

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter is pre CA:TWS so S.H.I.E.L.D. is very much up and running.

Clint closed the door to the quarters behind him, tossing his S.H.I.E.L.D. issued tablet on Nat’s bed as he crouched down to peer under the frame. He was met by two wide green eyes.

“Did Fury take away your candy?” he quipped, laying down on his chest and crossing his arms as a pillow.

“No” a small voice squeaked

“Then what the hell has the Black Widow hiding under her bunk like a kid?” he probed, stretching out a hand to sooth his friend but redrawing it after a little contemplation.  Even in this state Natasha wouldn’t want to be babied.

“Oomph” she croaked, tightening her grip around her knees as her head rested on the floor.

_Since when does Tasha Oomph?_

“Nat” he gently cooed, “what’s wrong?”

Her eyes squeezed shut. “I ruined everything”

“I doubt it. What are you talking about but?”

“With her”

“With wh- with _Hill_? What happened?” he dragged himself a bit closer, dropping his voice even though they were alone.

Natasha puffed, “Sharon mentioned her returning from an op pretty roughed up but refusing to check in to Med bay, a-and last time we did that she dragged our asses to the doc’s remember? And they actually fixed us up pretty well” she peeped out at Barton who nodded encouragingly. “So I was trying to return the favour b-but” she grit her teeth, tensely tapping her head against the hard floor. “Somehow the topic of having people who care for us came up a-and she was so calmly certain that no one had time for her that I…I” Romanoff groaned, dragging a hand across her face and rubbing at the throbbing behind her eyes.

“What did you do?” Barton cautiously queried

“I blurted out that I love her”

“YOU _LOVE_ HER!?” he croaked, chin slamming the ground as his arms slipped out from under him.

“No! I-I don’t thin- hell how the heck am I meant to know?” she let out an exasperated huff and agitatedly kicked out at the far wall. “It’s not like I understand this!”

“Well what did she say?” he rambled, leaning in completely absorbed.

“I don’t know!” Natasha groaned. “She stared so I ran, crawled down here and called you”

“Ok, but what are you going to do about it now?”

“Stay under my bed for eternity and slowly die of humiliation” she wailed, tugging her knees back up to her chin. Clint quietly chuckled at her before rolling onto his back and full on bellowing. “черт побери Barton, either help or get stuffed!”

“Com’on you just told Hardass Hill you freaking   _love her_? The freaking Deputy Director, your _boss_!” the archer wheezed, battling for air.

“I KNOW AND YOU’RE STILL NOT HELPING!” she growled, glaring him into relative silence.

“Alright, alright” a small burst of laughter shook his body. “Well. You can deal with this two ways, no three. One; you pretend it was just a joke or bit of banter, spread the story around locker rooms and the cafeteria and let people have a laugh at it. Hill probs won’t appreciate that though. Two; you run away to Mexico and run a black market guacamole business couriering the best nachos you could possibly find across the border to me and avoid Hill indefinitely. Three; woman up and go to her office and embrace it. Hell. Ask her out, she may even say yes”

“But if she says no?” Romanoff frowned.

Clint pondered that for a while before shrugging “crawl back under your bunk and eat the cafeteria’s entire stock of ice cream to Sam Smith songs”

“Uuurrrrgh!” Nat groaned into the floor “Is being human always so damn hard?”

Barton just smirked.

 

…

 

An hour or so after Clint was able to coax Nat out from under the bunk before leaving for a briefing, there was a sharp rap at the door.

Natasha swooped into a casual stance against the frame as she answered, her greeting strangled in her throat when she glimpsed the figure on the other side.

There stood a very sombre Hill with a bandaged wrist and multiple small stitches peppering her forehead and parts of her body exposed by her cotton training shirt. She glanced hesitantly the smaller Agent before collecting her features. “Obviously I took your advice and went to Med bay. Hope your happy Romanoff, I’ve been prohibited from exertive exercise and field deployments for two weeks” she snapped.

Natasha’s eyes turned downcast as she nodded, processing the situation. Were they going to pretend the earlier incident didn’t happen? Part of her could live with that, but a greater part was greatly disappointed.

An aching silence fell between them for a few heartbeats making Natasha want to close the door and crawl into the air vents till Clint found her, but then Hill sighed.

“Want to head out to the public gym with me and spar? Fury had them take my S.H.I.E.L.D. gym pass as an extra precaution and my office is swarmed with junior agents returning from first ops giving me a headache with their _constant_ inquiries and stupid-ass inability to file paper work”  she said through gritted teeth, blue eyes narrowing as they rolled.

Nat’s head snapped up “Are you in a fit condition to spar? You’ll stretch the stitches” she cautioned, her gaze wandering across the small cuts of Hill’s arms.

The senior Agent raised an eyebrow “Are you planning on stopping me?” a challenge shone in her eyes.

Natasha deliberated her options briefly before replying with a curt “No Ma’am” and ducking into her quarters for her wallet and gym bag.

They walked through the corridors in a comfortable stillness till Maria could no longer bite back her smirks and quiet snickers.

“So the Black Widow _loves_ me huh?” she teased, sneaking at glance at the smaller woman.

Nat tried to keep her shoulders and limbs from tensing up “I’m surprised you haven’t yet rattled off citations of fraternizing polices to keep me away” she quipped, surprised to see Maria so relaxed and spirited during working hours. The docs must have shot her up with a hell strong set of pain killers.   

“Sharon gave me a tip off about it a while back so I’ve had a bit of time to get to grips with it, but for future reference most people save the ‘I love you’s for _at least_ after the first few dates” she snickered.

Romanoff stared at her in shock, the combination of revelations catching her completely off guard. She nodded sombrely, “Well it wasn’t exactly like I planned it, but I’ll keep that in mind” she assured, a warm smile spreading across her features. _Better start catching up on those first few dates then._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "черт побери" - God Dammit


	2. Sharon's Itsy Bitsy Slip Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prequel to the first chapter - How Maria heard about Natasha's 'crush'.

Maria snapped the cap off her second beer as she raked through her scarce cupboards for plates and cutlery. Sharon was playing that polite game of flicking through the TV channels instead of diving into the food in front of her like she really, really wanted to.

“Hey Mar, Fast and Furious or Dirty Dancing?”

“Oh ballerinas and jazz shoes please” the brunette scoffed, dumping her utensil finds on the coffee table before cracking the lids on the steaming take away containers under Sharon's keen eye.

“You’ve never seen Dirty Dancing before, have you?” the smaller woman wisely settled on F&F 5 with a quirked brow.

“I’ve seen the ads, lemme guess. Rough guy meets pristine goody two-shoes girl, falls in love but their worlds are too different kind of thing?” She glanced up for the confirming shrug while scooping up a generous serving of Massuman curry.

Sharon dropped to the floor to snatch up a satay skewer before her cousin devoured those too. The sauce ran everywhere and her lips immediately snapped to her wrist to suck it up while fumbling for the tissues

“I guess” she slurred between slurps, “it's a bit like you and N-” she froze, her mind turning into a gurgle of _‘oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit’_  as she wiped down her hand and quietly began eating her food. “-Nobody” she muttered casually, not daring to break eye contact with the TV.

“Bit like who now?”

“No one”

“ _Sharon_ ”

“Just something I overheard. Pass the rice?” she choked down a chuckle before grabbing a plate and serving out her share of the Thai. 

 . . .

The blond was uncharacteristically quiet for the rest of the movie but it was her off-hand secret smile and nervous chewed down smirks that were really putting Maria on edge. She knew something and she wasn’t trying to hide it. Quite frankly it was driving Hill mad.

“Dammit Carter, just tell me what it is!” Maria huffed, sliding the plates across the table roughly to make room for her feet.

“You really want to know?”

“That’s why I’m Goddamn asking” she nudged impatiently, twisting to scrutinise Sharon.

 “If you must know.  _Someone’s got a crush on you_ ” the blonde teased in a sing song voice, openly laughing at the mix of curiosity and irritation that briefly crossed Hill’s face.

“Right” she nodded stiffly, “I guessed that much. Who?”

Sharon paused somewhat dramatically as her smirk stretched into an outright grin.  _Gosh this is going to be so perfect!_

“Natasha Romanoff” she beamed, tensing for Maria’s reaction.

“… _WHAT!!_ ”

The shriek made Sharon jerk. “Don’t shoot the messenger” she yelped, jumping behind the couch as a safeguard when the brunette violently jolted to her feet with a scowl.

“Give me something to shoot then! Are you sure? Who did you hear that off?”

“Barton, through the air vents. He was trying to psych Nat up to ask you out” she peeped, snatching up a cushion for extra protection as she cautiously watched Maria shift around in a startled silence, but quickly realised the only real threat here would be Hill’s mind imploding. “Hey now, it’s just a crush Mar. Don’t freak out” she soothed, pacing around so she could drag Maria’s stiff body back into its seat, tugging the cushion towards her own chest.   

Hill mentally cringed at the thought of the petite redhead slandering off a clever one liner and offering to buy her a drink. No doubt she would have gawked and spluttered like a down right idiot in front of the world’s most intimidating super spy before even processing a response. _Natasha Romanoff? The ‘Black Widow’ Natasha Romanoff? How-when, HER?_

Maria slumped against the backrest, kneading her fingers against her arm nervously as her brain rattled trying to reason this out. Was she interested? Heck yes. Yet she was oddly terrified, and after years at SHIELD she couldn't help but feel caught up. “There are polices and expectations in place to stop senior Agents from fraternising with th-“

“Oh for bloody -  give the Hardass game a rest, you're off duty!” the smaller cousin grumbled, searching for a way to get Hill to calm the fuck down and actually consider this. “When was the last time you went on a date? Heck when was the last time you had a decent night out? And hanging out with me and Kev doesn’t count” she quickly countered.

Maria side glanced her, knowing perfectly well that Sharon knew the answer to that.

“Exactly. So _big deal_ if the Black Widow has a crush on you, go out for a couple of drinks. Worst case scenario you have _fun_ Maria, ooor you can come back the next morning bragging that you survived a night in the spider’s web” she smirked, prodding Maria with her toes. The brunette took a shaky breath, composing herself.

“Since you seem to have all the answers here, what exactly do you expect me to do? Waltz up to the most reputable - and gorgeous - assassin in the world and ask her if she’d like to share a bowl of spaghetti with me under the street lights?” Hill scoffed, trying and failing to imagine what a date with the Black Widow would look like.   

“Ok, first bit of advice, just think about her as _Natasha_. And she doesn’t know that you know about this - you’ve got an upper hand here” Sharon perked.  “So what’s stopping you from waiting this out? Do yourself a favour and at least see where this goes before you decide you don’t want it to happen” she pleaded, and then rolled her eyes. “God, anyone else would be grovelling on the floor for Romanoff to take an interest in them; as if that isn’t enough of a confidence boost for you.”  The smaller woman hopped up and scurried over to the kitchen, deciding she had made her point clear. “You still got that cookies and crème tub?” she chirped.  

“Hmmph, in the back” Maria mumbled, staring blankly at the city lights outside the window.

Wait this out.

She can do that, right?


	3. Game Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Total fluff piece.   
> Nat and Maria have been getting along really well but haven't had a moment alone together. Natasha wants to change that. Que a totally irrational Black Widow style "have-a-lunch-date-with-Maria" mission.

Muffled blasts echo’s through Sharon’s head as she fired the last of her round at the cardboard target, her body following through perfectly with each recall. The taught muscles of her shoulders relaxed as she let out a steadying breath, weapon swinging into its holster.

Focusing on the fast and even pounding in her chest rather than the one of her right temple, the blonde scrutinized her work.

Mostly headshots. Not bad Carter.

Contently tugging off her safety equipment with a smirk, she turned to pack up for the day but instead found herself confronted by a face-full of vivid red.

“What th-!”

Instinct had her sliding back on the heels of her boots, hand twitching against her unloaded FNX-45 as she processed the sharp green eyes that were inches from her own mere moments ago.

“Jesus woman, can you not ‘Widow’ up to people the fucking _firing range_?!” she wheezed, trying to get a grip on her sharp breaths.

“Have you seen Maria?”  Natasha clipped indifferently, arms firmly folded against her frame.

“Not today” she huffed, sweeping fingers through frizzy hair. “Need her for something?” she probed, giving the Assassin a curious look over.

Romanoff hummed, twisted on her heel and stalked away. 

She raised her voice on the way out to compensate for talking into the range’s main corridor, “You’ve got a nice shot but try loosening your dominant arm next time” and proceeded to slip out of sight.

Well her first point of contact failed. How the heck does one discreetly track down the constantly on-the-move Deputy?

Hmph. By traveling ahead of time of course.

**. . .**

Word that the Avengers were visiting must have slipped through the greasy swing doors of the cafeteria because the chef’s had uncharacteristically splurged today.

It was a pleasant surprise for Jemma, the scientist delicately sliding her tray across as she gazed eagerly at the assortment of caramel and hazelnut slices, absentmindedly wondering how many she could slip into the labs as she placed them on napkins and began wrapping. Probably three, maybe five if she used both her bag and lab coat pockets.

“Doesn’t SHIELD’s budget cover food for the lab rats?”

Her petite frame whizzed around. “Oh. My. Gosh. Agent Romanoff! Y-you’re so, so, real, just, I _adore_ you. I mean I don’t - not like that - but obviously you are quite the idol…around...here” her flusters faded into a timid squeak as Natasha raised her most commanding weapon – a single eyebrow. 

“I’ll take all that as a compliment Dr. Simmons. I need you to carry a message for me, would you be willing?” She was met with an eager nod, the other woman beaming sweetly.

“Anything! Absolutely anything, what is it? Is it in a secret code? Because if it is I completely promise not to crack it. Unless it’s ok if I do, because that would be quite fun. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to actually be a S.H.I.E.L.D. spy” her arms hovered around as if she were surfing causing Natasha to strongly question how much training the scientist had for ‘actual SHIELD spy’ work.

“Here’s all you have to say…” Natasha braced her hands against the little scientist’s shoulders, looking her sternly in the eye as she passed on her message.

 .  .  .

“Meet me on the rooftop? Really Romanoff for someone with a dozier as colourful as yours I’d expect something a bit more…badass and Godfather like” Maria gave her  the tightest of smirks as she wandered over to Natasha’s selected ‘sweet spot’ against the roof’s inner circle, her gaze sweeping over the two beers and brown bag in the Assassins lap with a slight frown.

“As if the _Godfather_ is any less cliché than meeting on the rooftop” Natasha pestered, offering up a chilled bottle with a smile. She hid her shiver when the condensation poured down her sleeve as she found herself once again staring at the Deputy, taking her in. Her eyes looked tired but her shoulders were stiff as ever and some little part of Natasha’s brain tried to logically tell her that the worn-looking scowl on her face wasn’t that cute. It really wasn’t. Ok fine, it was stinking adorable and the thought made Natasha’s smile grow.    

“I’m hoping this isn’t your way of telling me there’s a basement full of dead rookie agents somewhere that needs to be cleared out”  Hill took the bottle hesitantly, letting it hover in the air. “I shouldn’t drink on duty” she pouted, attempting to hand it back but Natasha’s hands were already stuffed into the paper bag, fishing around.

Maria glanced across the empty roof, wavering slightly before taking a seat next to Natasha with her back against the round balcony as she squinted at the river in front of them.

“Nah. I stuff them in a janitor’s closet and it’s only half full so far” Nat bantered, her voice completely neutral.  

“ _What_ ” Maria’s head jerked towards her causing Natasha to smugly chew down the inside of her cheek.  

“But no. It’s Fury’s orders to make sure you eat today” Nat quickly moved on, pulling out a thick, wrapped burger. “And what else would go perfectly with this?” she smirked, handing one over to a grinning Maria as she reached in to grab her own. She emptied the fries into the bag and placed it between them. 

“Huh, we’re you actually listening to me after that shadow mission last Thursday?” Maria sounded genuinely surprised as she peeled back the paper to reveal the stuffed burger.  Her mouth watered.

“Well my options were to either listen to the _beautiful voice_ of my Deputy Director on the ride back here” she slandered, eyes glued to the red creeping across Maria’s neck and cheeks as her own stomach burned. “Or Sitwell’s as he tried to chat me up with his opinion on my dress and ass” she coughed out a laugh, earning a grimace and chuckle from Maria too as she bit into her food.

“Hmph, well I’m glad you payed attention. I’ve been craving one of these for weeks” Maria flashed her a small grateful smile, deciding it’d be ok to crack open a beer for this. Just this one time. Maybe it would help make this feel somewhat normal. After all, ‘impromptu surprise lunch breaks’ aren’t exactly the type of thing that someone usually organises for the Deputy Director.

The knots in Natasha’s stomach loosened dramatically at the sight of Maria practically melting into her food.  Thank heavens this didn’t turn out to be an awkward, bad idea.

For once Natasha didn’t have to force her features to relax, or worry if her posture was too stiff or smile’s too plastic. She just settled in with her share of greasy diabetes-in-a-bun and enjoyed the river views the rooftop had to offer and the comfortable silence that had fallen between them.

 “Did you catch the Canucks verses Maple Leaf’s game on Saturday?” Natasha asked around a mouthful of fries, hoping to God the answer was yes. She had fiddled with a few live streaming sites and her TV’s recording function for hours before frustratingly burrowing into her couch and staying up till 2am to watch the late night airing. The Black Widow never half-asses her prep work. Even for a mission as simple as making sure her and Maria wouldn’t run out of small talk today. In fact, there was a lot of flustering and planning that had gone into today.

“I-yeah. Did _you_?” Maria studied her, startled. Natasha’s eyes sparkled smugly.

“What did you think about them subbing Horvat into defence in the second half?” she quipped, graze trailing to the way Maria’s fringe danced around her eyes in the breeze.

The brunette raised an eyebrow with a scoff before shaking her head. _How can one person be this freaking unpredictable. ALL the dang time?_

“Absolutely ridiculous, right!?” Maria grumbled, raking her hair back as she continued to divulge into a very thorough analysis of the Canuck’s game plan and stupid-ass slip ups.

Natasha smirked, working her way through the food and offering her opinions on the best goals and cringe-worthy sloppy passes that had messed with the flow of the game, but mostly letting Hill take over the conversation.

Twenty minutes later and the women were splitting at the sides with laughter as they youTube’d “Mascot fails” on Natasha’s phone after a heated discussion on how illogical it was to have a Whale represent a hockey team.

“At least the Koala had feet to trip over! How the heck would a whale even play hockey” Nat pestered, watching in mirth at Maria’s awful attempt at hiding her smile as she wheezed for breath.

“He can slide on the ice!” Hill justified, just as stubbornly.

“Yeah and split it in two” Natasha scoffed

Maria gasped mockingly “Are you calling Fin the Whale _fat_?”

“I’m just saying it wouldn’t hurt him to call Jenny Craig.” She saw the punch coming from a mile off but her amusement won out as she allowed Maria to crush her knuckles into her shoulder half-heartedly.

“Jerk much.” The Deputy chuckled, rolling up their rubbish and collecting it into the bag. “I need to head back before Coulson loses his head thinking I’ve dropped off the Earth” she dusted off the crumbs as she pulled herself up. Natasha followed suit, grabbing the empty bottles and bag.

“I’ll take care of these. Can I walk you back?” she asked, glowing at how much more relaxed Maria seemed after their lunch.

“Sure. If you’re heading that way” Hill lead them back to the roof’s access door. “Thanks for lunch, it was...” she search for something fitting before timidly settling on “nice.”

“Yeah I liked it too. We should hang out more often” Natasha threw out the words as casually as she possibly could as she opened the door for Maria.

For the second time that afternoon, Hill looked completely startled.

“Sounds good. You know where to get the best beer on tap in D.C.?” Hill challenged

“Nope”

“I do, first rounds on me. I’m free Saturday night?” she smiled.

“It’s a date” Natasha coyly smirked, tilting her head as they clipped down the stairs. Her head erupted in a massive cheer of _heck freaking yesssssss!_ when Maria raised an eyebrow but said nothing to contradict her.

They exchanged a small smile at the end of the flight before wiping clean their expressions as Maria scanned her card for the door to open, snapping them back into the bustling the world of S.H.I.E.L.D as it did.


	4. Persistence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha’s been thriving on the multitude of run in’s the Avengers have with Maria Hill following the Battle of New York. After a handful of glimpses at city council meetings, impromptu hospital visits, group drinking nights and 4pm lunch runs with various team members outside of her usual SHIELD deployments, Nat finally rustles up the nerve to ask Maria on a more private one-on-one date.

Natasha Romanoff was a woman of many talents but one of her more frequently displayed and indulgent skills was her ability to silently appear from thin air. Usually right behind one Maria Hill.

“ _God,_ Romanoff! I need to get you a damn bell” the Deputy startled for the severalth time that week, bracing herself firmly on the cafeteria bench as she huffed at the agent.

“Afternoon Maria” she smirked, smugness radiating off every part of her being.

“It’s _Agent Hill_ here. What did you want?” the other woman pulled back her shoulders as she collected herself

“Yessir Agent Hill” Natasha snapped a salute. “Can I ask your status on lunch plans?” she coyly queried 

“I didn’t have an-“

 “Good. There’s a Greek place that opened up not too far away. Coulson thinks it’s amazing but we should check it out and decide for ourselves. I’m still recovering from the Mexican joint he recommended last week but Mediterranean food is usually less…unpredictable” she grinned, anxiously fiddling with a loose string inside her jacket pocket. “And another cafeteria meal may just be the death of me” her features contorted into a grimaced as her head tilted towards the standard spread of high-starch foods.   

“Can’t you drag Barton out?” Hill frowned, making her way around Romanoff and towards the counter.

 _But I want you. _Natasha nervously sulked, _and Clint said all I had to do was ask you to lunch_.

Luckily all the kitchen staff were out the back since it was off peak, giving her a small window of opportunity to get her point across.

“Don’t you want to go with me?” she pouted, holding onto her casual demeanour as she frantically tried to process another approach.

“Cafeteria has me covered Romanoff but thanks” Hill gave the redhead a curt nod and small smile, leaving the petite Russian with the sudden urge to slam her head into the steel bench.“How did Prague go?”

_Com’on Hill, take a hint!_

“It worked out fine. Perhaps we could check out the restaurant when you’re off the clock then?”

“I’m never off the clock when Fury’s away” her scoff reinforced by two buzzes from her phone’s alerts. She smoothly pulled the device out of her pocket, swiping through messages and reminders to busy her hands as Natasha racked her brain.

The Deputy scolded herself as her heart stuttered nervously. _Stop getting so damn worked up! Romanoff would just want to form the right ally’s around S.H.I.E.L.D._ _right? It’s not like she’s asking me out or planning my last meal – oh shit! What if she’s planning my last meal? And plans on taking me out afte- wait. God. Natasha’s not like that. For fucks sake, shut up Maria._

“How about we have a celebratory dinner when he gets back on Thursday then, to cheers all the free time you’ll have” she teased feeling hopeful…only to be shut down by a sharp shake of the head from Hill.

“Oh, I’ve got meetings scheduled all the way into the night.” She canted around to get a glimpse of the kitchen hands through the small order window, all of whom were busy scrubbing trays and prepping the evening round of dishes. Perching on counter in frustrated disdain she swept her eyes around the mostly empty tables before confronting Romanoff’s gaze.

“Thursday lunch?”

“Will be co-ordinating an extraction from eleven hundred hours onwards”

“Friday then”

“Fly out to D.C. for an executive meeting.” Maria narrowed her eyes.

“Surely they give you Weekends off”

“Barely, but I’ve pencilled in a family visit with Kevin and Sharon.” _What are you up to little Spider?_

The redhead shifted her weight; a distance in her eyes the only hint at how forlorn she was beginning to feel. “I could meet you beforehand, my shout for coffee?” she perked, resorting to exploiting the Deputy’s only known weakness - caffeine. Hill gave her a thoughtful look over which made Natasha’s heart leap. _Please say yes, God just say yes._

“Is something wrong Nat?” she gently probed. If Natasha wanted her to know something she would find a way, otherwise it’s not her business to press for details.

“No nothing…work related”

“Well then Romanoff I’m really flattered that you’re so keen to spend time with me but you’re verging on being unreasonable”.

Natasha’s optimism plummeted.

“I’m not the one being unreasonable” she wryly remarked, causing Maria to huff defiantly.

“I don’t know who you’ve been talking to but you’re under no obligatio-”

“This isn’t me acting under obligation”

“Then you can stop forcing yourself to be courteo-”

“Courtesy has nothing to do with it. I want to know if-”

“But I don’t need you t-”

“…you would like to have-”

“ _Natasha_ ” she gently warned, frustrated of being cut off.

“ _Hill_ ” the little Assassin playfully growled back.

Maria took a deep breath, feeling done with whatever nonsense the Agent was playing at.

“I’ve had a busy day and have got a long week ahead, frankly all I want right now is food and quiet. Let. This. _Go_ ” and with that the brunette turned back to the kitchen, ready to throw the nearest fork at the staff to get their attention.

The redhead seethed for a few seconds, the nerves that were so tautly tugging at her clashing with a sudden burst of adrenaline.

“I’m trying to ask you out dammit!!” the palm of Natasha’s hand slammed against the cold counter then hovered there – partially out of tense frustration but mostly in embarrassment at her unexpected snap. Maria had reflexively leapt to her feet at the crash, well aware that all eyes in the room had turned in their direction.

“You’re _what_?” Maria hissed, half convinced she’d heard Nat wrong. Natasha’s eyes squinted slightly, hurt, before her features washed blank causing Hill’s mouth to wrap around a silent _“oh”_ as the words really hit home.

If the piercing pitch of Hill’s voice didn’t shatter Natasha’s hopes, then the dazzled look of mild horror on the Deputy’s face was more than enough to do the job.  She stood there nonetheless, waiting to see if Maria had anything else to say but from the way the other woman’s mouth goldfished around, she guessed that was the end of it.

Natasha’s chest felt like it had been ripped open and left vulnerable, her instincts started growling at her to run.  

“Sorry. Nothing” she smiled, hoping her features looked amused or at least casual. “If you’ll excuse me, Agent Hill” she had to strain against the urge to sprint out of the room and curl up in a small hidden nook of the Triskelion till Maria was distracted enough to forget the whole incident. It made the slow paced walk to the door as agonising as ever.

There was a long pause as Natasha slipped away, Maria watching her go as she battled with her blank brain to figure out what to do about the rattling feeling that was starting to build in her chest. _Damn I’m going to regret this._

“Romanoff” she called, feeling no need to raise her voice – Natasha could hear a pin drop in the middle of a busy street. “The family thing shouldn’t take too long, want to meet for dinner Saturday?” She tried to keep a non-committal tone in her voice, doubting Natasha would buy into any type of sympathy offer.

There was a decent pause as Nat thought it through, mentally racking her brain as if her diary had suddenly filled up causing Maria to smirk.

“Yeah I suppose that works for me. Meet at the restaurant or want me to pick you up?”

“Text me the details, I’ll see you there at 7:30ish”

“Sounds like a date” Natasha slandered, tilting her head with a dangerous smile before sauntering away.

She resisted the urge to run out of the room for a completely different reason, having to use every ounce of her being to wait till she had rounded at least four corners before leaning against the nearest wall and allowing the goofiest smile to spread across her face.

Two near-by agents sprinted away in terror.


	5. Ice Breakers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post Battle of NY, set in a pretty flashy hotel hall.

"She's stunning" Natasha murmured, mostly to herself.

"You're staring" Barton echoed in a mockingly similar voice, handing her the glass of wine from the bar. He couldn't help but smile at the awestruck look on his friend's face as the woman - who he was now defiantly sure Nat has been swooning over - walked in. "Go say hi to her, I'll wait here for you" he encouraged, sucking the foam off his beer. Thank the lord for Stark’s deep pockets and open bars – it was his only reason to stay the whole night.

"I will, later" she promised herself, butterflies dancing in her gut.   
  
Natasha's gazed switched to the windows to her left, so she could take in every detail of Maria's pinned up loose curls and the fine silver necklace laying across her collar bone without feeling overly conscious of being caught ogling.  
  
The sight of the Deputy breezing around the lower floors of the Avengers tower in tight dark jeans and a SHIELD hoodie on her 'days off' was one thing but you can only imagine how hard it was for NOT to stare at the woman before her now.  
  
Maria Hill had glided into the marble hall in her floor length black dress with an elegant confidence that caught even Natasha off guard. She had never expected to see the brunette in a gown but as she watched how natural Maria looked sliding through the crowds, one hand holding the side of the dress so her heels didn't tangle in the hem, she couldn't fathom how the image never occurred to her.  
  
Barton exchanged small talk with the group that had encircled them, occasionally answering their bursts of excited questions as Natasha's eyes trailed Hill. The Deputy had been handed one of the passing glasses of champagne and was tentatively taking sips as she played her role perfectly, mingled with the crowd and smiled politely at the politicians who brushed her elbow in greeting. _Always the diplomat_ , Natasha smirked. Most of the well dressed, nose-in-the-air geezers seemed to know her well enough to show her a bit of respect at least.  
  
"Aliens in New York is one thing but man you don't know what it's like to wake up to the sight of Tony Stark passed out in the common lounge  _\- on the couch I eat my cereal on,_ wearing nothing but a toy Captain America mask! Talk about scarred for life, right Nat?" Clint nudged her elbow proudly at the eruption of laughs he'd pulled from the group, reactions ranging from grimaces to curious smirks and cocked eyebrows.  
  
"If you think Clint had it bad you should have seen Rogers, the man's face was redder than the circles of his star spangled shield. But that's not scarred for life, scarred for life is the damage Thor did to my ear drums when Tony put him on mic for Karaoke" Natasha teased, sliding into the conversation and causing two members of the group to unconsciously tip toe froward at new of the Asguardian.  
  
"It's a lethal combination" a voice ruefully agreed. "We could weaponise it."

Natasha thanked her decades of espionage training for keeping her from jumping a foot in the air at the sound of Hill’s voice behind her, it did take some effort however for her to keep a neutral face and not tense her shoulders as the breeze of Maria settling to her right brushed over her exposed skin and gave her a waft of her perfume.

“You guys all know Maria Hill right? She’s our badass Deputy” Barton gave her a smug wink from Nat’s other side. Hill gave him a grateful smile before correcting him.  

“I feel more like the Avenger’s baby sitter these days; you should see how much crap I have to put up with from these two alone.” She nudged Natasha’s arm while eyeing down Clint, surprised that the man had the decency to look mildly ashamed. She eyed the crowd thoughtfully. “On that topic Barton do you what to explain why all the draws of my desk are loaded to the brim with pasta?” she cocked her head, her smile shifting into a cool smirk. “I shouldn't tell you this but no matter what the security system tells you, a handful of my office’s cameras can’t be externally disabled which means yes; I saw the whole thing you little shit.”

Group around them snickered. Their eyes were wide as they waited for it to go down, drinks forgotten in hands or poised against lips in anticipation. 

“Oh _fuck_ ” he blanched, twisting behind Natasha for protection. The redhead sighed, pulling him further along till he was shoulder to shoulder with Hill before sliding out of their way and coolly sipping her wine, watching Barton fluster about. “It was uh, meant to be anonymous…you’ve been tagged!” he cheered half-heartedly, his drink sloshing around as he pumped his fists humorously in the air while mildly fearing for his job. Or his life. Hill’s deadpan I’m-not-taking-this-shit-face eventually wore him down, making his hands drop to his sides in defeat. “It was Stark. It was all Stark, I had no choice it's the only way to win."

Hill frowned, "win?"

"I did leave a note right? Or maybe I didn’t. Anyway, you’ve now got to pasta punk the next person and then it goes on and on” he explained, rolling his fingers in the air while doing his best not to cross gazes with Natasha who was currently shooting his daggers. What the shit did he do? “Stark has the list of points; the more risky the target the higher you score. I got a solid nine for you” he grinned.

Maria took a moment to deliberate this. As long as she was high on the hit-list she was content to play along, and now she has a legitimate reason to make Clint’s life a smidgeon more difficult as vengeance for all the times he’s been a pain in the arse. She pursed her lips.

“Is anyone a 10 or higher?”

“Yeah” he chuckled, relaxing at how easy Hill let him off. “Fury, Pepper and Romanoff are all 10. You get to choose any two people on the list but as the laws of the universe go; pics or it didn’t happen. And no double ups, if someone’s been hit they’re taken off the list”

“And what does the winner get?”  Her competitive side was rattling, ready to pounce on this.

“If a team member wins they get first dibs on suites when the renovations are done, anyone else and Stark will make them a guest room permanently theirs.” Maria's brows raised. That would save her a hell lot of travel time.

“ _Holy shit_ can I join!?” a guy in the circle braced himself of his friends shoulder, catalysing the rest of the crowd to erupt in excited chatters of “yeah is it an open competition?” “I’d fucking kill for this, like literally” and “Imagine waking up to Captain America in pyjamas!”

“Woah woah woah, sorry guys but no. Strictly limited to the list. The list is law.” He waived a hushing hand around pulling the disappointed group back to order but being Clint he couldn’t help but wince at their fallen faces. “Hey, you want to meet Rogers now though? I can play the national anthem on my phone while you ask him about freedom and eagles and shit” he perked, walking away slowly to make sure the group followed.

Maria watched them weave through the crowd like a litter of over hyped puppies yapping at Barton’s heels. She turned to give Natasha an exaggerated eye roll, who returned the gesture with a humoured shrug.

“It’s not like you to join in with the boy’s shenanigans” she noted, making small talk.

“Someone’s got to show them all up, how else will they learn their place” Maria’s leer was toned down by the mild look of concern that crossed her features. “You ok?”

“Yeah fine, that meeting with Roger's is going to be interesting. From the looks of it Tony’s still trying to sell the deal of a Magic Mike skit” she grinned.

Maria gave her an unimpressed look over for skimming the question but she didn't want to press too hard. If Natasha's not ready to talk, she doesn't. “I’d stick around for that, though I can’t really see Steve stripping anytime soon. The man still can’t look Pepper in the eye if she’s in a bikini”

It was always hard to get a read on Romanoff, sometimes you may as well flip a coin to decide if she’s really ‘all there’ in a situation or just playing along but right now Maria could see a rigidness in her that was mildly concerning. When Natasha wanted to give the impression of being at ease, she could do so flawlessly. So what was so different about tonight?

“Well he's no virgin to stage performances and eager crowds” Natasha recalled. 

She wanted to kick herself, here she was dying inside to be upfront about how she felt to Maria but instead she was making stripper jokes about Steve. Downing her drink in one hopeful swig she flashed Maria a brilliant smile.

“You want to get something a bit stronger?” she eyed Maria’s mostly empty champagne glass.

“Sure” Maria frowned, letting Natasha lead the way to the bar. They had to weave through politicians, journalists and some starstruck civilians that Tony had let in through a charity-raffle stunt. The whole globe wanted to speak to the Avengers and SHIELD about the New York incident, which is why Pepper had organised tonight; to let the team mingle with the press and powers-that-be to show the world that the Avengers were not some private vigilante group of misfits. That and Stark just really wanted a party. “So has anyone had the balls to pasta prank you yet?”

Natasha hummed out a blunt  _‘nuh-uh’_ while flagging down a bartender. “Barton put a rubber black widow in my water bottle once and I got him back by hiding all his favourite x-box games and dyeing the logos on his SHIELD uniforms pink. The price is too high for messing with me, they know that – two triple whiskeys on the rocks, please.”

“I was wondering where he got those shirts from” Maria murmured, her gaze absentmindedly trailing the bartender as she set her champagne glass down. She could hear the crisp sound of ice crackling as liquor was poured through the cracks.

“It faded to purple eventually; he said he could live with that.”

Natasha’s heart fluttered at the warm chuckle she pulled from Maria, her eyes snapping to the woman’s lips as they spread into a smile.  

“I guess I should stay clear from you then” Hill decided, “but if you ever did touch a single one of my books, clothes, phone, whatever, just know that I have the power to put the Black Widow on a time out around the hellicarrier and I wouldn’t think twice about it” she grinned wickedly. “So that leaves me with Pepper and Fury then” she stated, causing Natasha to quirk a brow.

“Going for the big guns?” She guessed Maria would play it out like this but the determination in Hill’s voice still impressed her.

“No point in playing if you don’t plan on winning. I’m sure Pepper would forgive me if she ever found out, Fury’d just be confused as hell” Hill mulled it over, frowning slightly. She gave Natasha a thoughtful look over, titling her head slightly “You’re probably the best trained person for a job like this. Want to be my partner in crime Romanoff?” she teased in a hopeful voice.

Maria’s words left Natasha tingling. She bit down on her lip – hard – to prevent the giddy smile she could feel bubbling inside her from spreading, pointedly making sure to knit her brow together to give the impression of considering the offer. Of course she wanted to say yes but she can’t be too hasty about it, and this could work in her favour.  

“What would be in it for me?” she thumped her left hip into the counter beside them as she reached for the drink being offered from the other side, her weight shifting onto that leg as she swirled the glass before taking a lengthy sip - the ice hit her lips, mixing deliciously with the heavy tasting liquor. To top it off the anticipated burn hit her just right; numbing her thoughts for a perfect fleeting second.

“If I get a suite in the tower you can consider it a second room whenever I’m out of town” Maria offered, eyes locking on the flick of Natasha’s tongue as the redhead caught a stray drop before it could fall onto her chin. Hill raised her own glass, tugging her gaze away as she let the whisky roll across her palate.

Natasha noticed the glace with a slight shiver and in a daring move slowly turned till she was looking at Maria though the mirror of the bar. She crossed her arms contemplatively and pulled her shoulders in till there was a slight curve in her back.

“That’s a good start” she mused, her stomach burning at the sight of Maria struggling to keep her gaze at eye level, a smirk playing on the brunette’s lips. “But if I’ve going to forego the opportunity to grab the best room for the sake of helping you win, don’t you think I deserve a little more?” she teased. There is no way this wouldn’t work to her advantage. And to be honest, Natasha couldn’t care less which suite was hers – the idea of having a whole floor as a private apartment in the already extravagant building was too flashy for her.

Maria sighed, letting her glass hit the countertop with a muffled clip. “Ok. Name your price” she watched Natasha amusedly, bewildered at what she could possibly want from her.

Whatever ground Natasha had gained with her hips was lost under Maria’s cool stare. It took a fair bit of effort for her not to choke down on her words or replace them with something whimsical or less intimidating.

“How about an evening. Together.” She settled for a casual approach but even so she couldn’t stop her hands from swirling her glass or rolling her fingertips over the rim.

Maria frowned slightly, but didn’t look like she would scoff down a laugh or walk away in repulsion – which were both scenarios which had briefly crossed Natasha’s mind.

“An evening…what just staring into each other's eyes and twiddling our thumbs?” She cocked a teasing smile.

“Or we could find something to do. I hear New York is good for that”

“So it would be like a date?”

“If you want to see it that way” Natasha said honestly, letting the ball roll into Hill’s court.

Maria took another glance at Natasha’s flirty posture, finally accepting the idea that it was intended for her and wasn’t just another ruse to grab that little sliver of extra attention that Romanoff loved having up her sleeve, especially when there were big crowds to be won over. She took a deep breath.

“Okay”

“Okay?” Natasha repeated. _What does okay mean? Okay to spending an evening together to gain my help or to the hint of it being a bit more than that?_

“But you’ve got to tell me; do _you_ want to see it as a date?” Maria made sure to look her in the eye, part of her wondering if she could really read what was going on in Natasha’s head or if she was deluding herself.

“I-It doesn’t have to be”

“Just be straightforward Nat, I’m fine with whatever you say” she assured gently, hoping her words sounded as genuine as she intended them to be.

She knew something was off with Romanoff tonight but she never expected the reason to be her. Still, it was a big deal for Natasha to take an emotional risk – not the woman would ever let you see how much it impacted her or let you help her though it – and Maria respected her greatly for that.

Natasha had to take a few moments to let it all settle. It’s now or never really.

“Yes” she said clearly, never looking away from Maria. “I’d like it to be a bit more than a bribe to help you win Tony’s little game” she relaxed her shoulders, surprised at how easy it was for her to admit so. “And if the feeling was mutual, it would be even better.”

Maria smiled, her lips twitching as she chewed down to prevent the action from turning into a grin. Natasha just kept on surprising and has been doing so since day one of her defection to SHIELD.

She had honestly never considered herself with Romanoff – after all, as shit as it was she had to tread carefully when it came to fraternising as the Deputy for many reasons; insolent men being the largest – but of course Maria wasn’t blind; Natasha was gorgeous. And she had proven herself countless times to be quite a formidable ally and friend. Plus she was just damn right intriguing. She deserved a chance right?

“I can’t see why it can’t be something a bit more.” Maria mimicked Natasha’s movements of tracing the rim of her glass before taking a slow sip, watching with mirth at the self-conscious grin that stretched across the other woman’s cheeks. “On the one condition that we keep it a secret from the boys” she added in a half-hearted stern voice.

“I can definitely live with that”  

\-    -    -

It was no surprise that after ‘pranking’ Natasha and Pepper – who had also hopped on board to the idea of Hill living in the tower – Maria won with a score of a perfect 20.

And Hill quickly learnt that whenever she returned to her suite to the sight of a small body burrito’d up in her sheets, she was allowed to hop in next to it but never complain about Natasha’s light snoring. Or even mention it, unless she wanted to be booted upstairs to the much too large and cold room that Nat used as a giant walk-in-robe and private training area.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every time I update this I get the image of waddling up with an arm full of feathers and just dumping fluff all over this ship.


	6. Woes of a Jealous Black Widow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Following the prompt by Mnem0syne for a very in-demand Maria and cued jealous Natasha.

Maria Hill slowed down for no one. She has always had her own list of places to be and work to cross off. Even when there was a break in her schedule she used the time to have a quiet moment to herself; privately.  So when SHIELD collapsed and the usually bustling Deputy nestled down in the Avengers tower, sitting on a lounge by the window reading worn down crime novels or humming to herself as she cooked a few meals, _everyone_ took notice.

They noticed the air of calm confidence she carried around her, the way she never wore shoes when the weather was mildly warm and how soft her hair looked when her buns were sloppily pooled on top of her head instead of being wound tight (as they usually were when she was around SHIELD). Somehow her lose cotton t-shirts suited her figure better than the tailor cut suits – the way the fabric hung off her taunt thin frame had heads turning whenever she breezed through a room. Natasha Romanoff noticed it all more than anyone else and she was the first to pick up on the way the boyish-ruckus behaviour around the tower began to change with Hill’s arrival; not so shockingly Tony Stark had been the first to speak his mind.

“Aren’t you the epitome of perfection in the mornings Ms. Hill, did you enjoy your beauty sleep? Don’t feel shy to share the details” he chirpily strolled around the kitchen, pouring a mug of coffee and topping up Maria’s.

“I did; on your gazillion thread count Egyptian cotton sheets. Have you ever lost an hours sleep in your life?”

“I’m prepared to lose a few with you”

“Hilarious” she chuckled dryly, chatting with Tony for a few more moments before heading off to shower. The skirting of her pyjama bottoms gave Natasha the perfect view of the lean muscles that wrapped around the top of her thighs as Hill walked away, the redhead took in the sight greedily until she noticed Stark doing the same. An angry ball of heat settled in her stomach.

“She’s out of your league” she warned, kicking the man’s shins to snap his attention away.

“Oh I don’t play in a league. Leagues mean competing and you don’t need to prove yourself when you already know you’re the best” he said convincingly, self-confidence oozing from his every word as he gathered his toast and wandered off.

\- - -

 

Rogers had followed, proving his good manners as he slid Maria’s chair out for her at dinner before settling in the seat to her right – exactly where Natasha had planned to sit, so she took the vacant spot opposite the pair to keep a close eye on them. He was thrilled when he found out Maria read Golden Age crime novels.

“I’m sure a lady as sharp as you can piece it together faster than the detectives” he smiled sweetly, nervously rubbing his right hand against his napkin.

Maria laughed “You know how repetitive those books are right? If you like _real_ mystery you should check out some crime thrillers”

“I don’t think I’ve heard of those. W-would you be able to recommend some?” he perked

“Yeah I’d love to” she smiled, “I didn’t think you’d know them because it’s all modern. Some are a bit dark but that’s what makes them realistic and interesting; so much better than the cottage settings” she rambled, trying to work her knife through Barton’s very rare lamb roast.

“The book store I go to is a few streets up, we could go on the weekend? Maybe grab a cup of coffee on the way back?” he tried to casually suggest. Even Natasha had to admit, it was endearing.

Unfortunately Maria seemed to think so too. “That’d be nice, Rogers” she smiled at him, giving up on the roast with a huff. Steve offered his own self-conscious smile and a small nod then bashfully eyed Hill’s abandoned dinner.

“Here, I’ll have a go.” The Super Soldier leaned in and sliced through it for her with ease, causing Maria groan in embarrassed amusement and Natasha to agitatedly slosh her wine in her mouth before downing the glass in one swig. Steve is cute, but not with Hill.

And he wasn’t the end of it.

James Rhodes seemed transfixed on the sight of Maria in a tank top and denim shorts. Thor boomed with tales which painted Maria as Midguard’s most noble warrior. Hawkeye – who had spent hours at a time whinging about how uptight the Deputy could be – made room for her next to him on the couch one night and even went as far as to try one of his cheesy one liners on Hill (not that it earned him anything more than an eye roll and chortled laugh). Banner was especially quiet when Hill was around; he would never look her in the eye but always stared when her calm authoritative presence took control of a group. Even Jarvis, freaking _Jarvis_ the AI dropped an overly flirtatious compliment whenever Maria entered a room – though Natasha suspected that was Tony once again playing up.

Something had to be done.

\- - -

 

She chose one of those rare moments when most of the Avengers along with Pepper and a few other common faces were all in the main lounge at the same time. Someone had set up a playlist of the summer’s music hits to fill the room while everyone did their own thing; there was a game of pool going, a small gang were chatting together and others – like Maria – were enjoying reading or flicking through their phones with the group around them. Once again, Natasha seemed to be the only one to pick up on the flickering of eyes that stared at Hill, curled up in the sunlight on a sleek leather recliner.

The redhead briskly swerved her way through the room, taking the path that cut through everyone’s line of sight before bouncing on the balls of her feet in front of Maria; with her back turned to the group no one else could see the scowl that painted her face besides Hill, who tentatively reached out her long arms to tug on Natasha’s shirt, pulling her in closer.

“What’s wrong?” she cooed, placing her book open and face down on the arm of the lounge.

Without another word Natasha pooled herself in Maria’s lap, wrapping her fingers in soft brown hair as she pressed herself into the other woman, sealing them together with a deep kiss. Marias hands reflexively slid from Natasha’s clothes to her waist, curling around the curves and dips there to hold her close and make sure the smaller woman wouldn’t slip backwards.

Slowly, the room fell silent with only the soft music and sounds of lips sucking and mouths sliding together filling the large space.

The pair ignored the flustering of Tony and shocked stutters of the others that erupted after that, instead getting absorbed the prickling warmth of the sun on their right and the feeling of having the other moulded against their lips and palms. When they did pull apart it was slow and Natasha used the chance to place a firm kiss against Maria’s hairline, which made the other woman smile blissfully.

“Marking your territory little spider?” she guessed, chuckling at the lazy nod she pulled from Natasha.

“Too many idiot men staring at you” she murmured, folding herself so she sat with her legs swinging off the left arm of the lounge and her side pressed against Maria’s. She habitually rested her head against the nook of the taller woman’s’ shoulder and shut her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight on her face. “Besides, I think Jarvis caught us out in the elevator this morning. It was only a matter of time” she purred, contently taking in the deep vibration of Maria’s agreeing hum.

Hill rubbed at her back as she settled.

“We wouldn’t have been caught if you didn’t try to do that thing while dangling off the roof” she nagged, picking up her book and flicking back a few chapters.

“You weren’t complaining at the time. I’ll turn off the safety sensors for the next round” Natasha assured her before cracking open her eyes and stiffening slightly. “Did you read ahead without me?” she exasperated.

Maria shamefully nodded, earning a tight slap to the shoulder “It was getting good!”

Natasha scoffed. “I take it back then. No sneaky elevator fun times for you.”

The brunette playfully whined, finding her place on the page before beginning to read out loud, on top of the sound of Stark clearing his throat

“Ladies could we go through that again please, I didn’t get a good camera angle”

“ _Tony_ ” Pepper growled firmly, making Natasha snicker in approval.  


	7. Wingman - Part 1

“You should tell her” Wanda grunted, ducking the left hook Romanoff swung her way only to cop a hefty kick to the gut.

“What?” the redhead frowned slightly “Straighten up your back, hunching in like that will throw you off balance” she quickly added, throwing a series of jabs at the younger woman’s blocked torso.

“It’s hard to stand straight when your opponent’s dirty boxing” she wheezed, each one of Romanoff’s hits pushing her back making the redhead smirk. “Hill” she said when Natasha relented and went into defence allowing her to have a few shots “you should tell her how you feel” her heavy accent grunting with each punch. She could feel the bruises blossoming across her knuckles through the thick gloves and despite it all Natasha remained unswayed in front of her like each of her blows were butterfly wings brushing against her.    

Natasha didn’t bother denying it; the witch had been inside her head and pulled everything she had tried to supress to the surface and that included how she felt about Maria. Freaking perfect Maria.

“Focus on one thing at a time Maximoff” she threw a light roundhouse kick to Wanda’s left side to point out where she had left herself exposed. “And stay out of my damned head” she growled, landing a solid blow to her opponent’s right shoulder.

Wanda pulled back, her gloved hand kneading at the spot as she caught her breath. The Scarlet Witch was going to be purple and blue tomorrow morning.

“I wasn’t in your head just then” she mumbled, “but sorry. I know it’s something private to you.” She shuffled to the edge of the ring and tugged off the gloves in favour of grabbing her red drink bottle, keeping her gaze low. Natasha was quiet behind her but she could feel the steady weight of green eyes on her back.

“How much did you see?” Natasha’s voice was pitched low and weary of the number of agents training around them.

She hesitated, fingers flexing a light red hex in circles around the bottle. “I saw glimpses” she admitted, turning to face her trainer and keeping her voice just as low. “Of memories, thoughts and -uh…fantasies” she mumbled, flushing slightly and looking away again.  

Natasha hummed, seemingly unfazed so Wanda felt bold enough to go on.

“They trained me to latch onto certain feelings like fears, suppressions and insecurities when I go into people’s minds. I-I wasn’t expecting it to come up Natasha” she promised, the guilt that she usually felt around Romanoff starting to swell inside her again. “I’m s-”

“I know” Nat cut her off, offering a small understanding smile. “It’s fine Wanda, you know I already forgave you.” Her eyes flicked to the glass wall which was set on the upper half of the double-height edges of the training room before darting back to the girl in front of her. “We’ve got a half hour left so let’s do some gun work, you’re still sloppy with the reloads” she decided, walking off to her gym bag.  

Wanda looked up at the glass panes to her right just in time to see Agent Hill’s frame disappear from view on the floor above them.

“You know in Sokovia it’s traditional in gypsy families to offer the father a goat or goose before you court his daughter – you American’s are lucky you only need to ‘ask the girl out’” she remarked with a twisted grin, following Natasha.

The redhead raised a very unamused brow at her. “You’re a goose, and stalling doesn’t work on me. If you’re going to work at SHIELD it’s required you learn to control a firearm” she slung her bag over her shoulder and as Wanda stuffed hers and unwrapped her hands.

“I’m not staling; I’m saying it may not be as difficult as you think, you should at least try” she offered a gentle smile which erupted into a grin as her eyes shone “I can help you! I can be your wingman!”

“Who taught you that word?” Romanoff groaned, raising a hand to dismiss the girl’s excitement.

“Natasha please let me make this up to you?” she begged, shaking out her hair to retie her ponytail.

“Wanda you don’t have t-”

“I can help you pick a restaurant and maybe a dress, we can decide how you would ask her out – would you prefer something showy or more quiet? And I think Maria would like a bottle of wine instead of flowers but let’s first focus on the _when, where_ and _how_..” Natasha gaped as the brunette’s chattering faded away as she walked over to the firing range, leaving her standing lonesome and stunned on the edge of the sparing ring.

“…you’re supposed to be the quiet one” she shook her head in amused disbelief as she paced after her.

**\-     -     -**

“ _Go_ ” Wanda growled, fruitlessly trying to shove Natasha out the door of the Upstate New York facility a few days after their boxing training.

Romanoff stood rigidly in place, staring blankly at the stretch of grass and trees around them. “But what if it is a mistake? She’s practically my boss…it could make things awkward” she pointed out for the tenth time.

Wanda gave up, moving around to look the shorter woman straight in the eye. “You’re the Black Widow. You've stopped an alien invasion, saved the world from an army of AI robots, singlehandedly take down men three times your weight with stiletto’s on - I still want you to teach me that - but you can’t ask a woman out for _a date_?” she exasperated.

Natasha glared “It’s not that simple for me”

“But it can be, look she is right there!” she pointed out of view to where a group of benches were set up under the trees. “I can feel that she is alone and in a relaxed mood. There will never be a perfect ti-”

“Listen! I don’t do this. I _never_ do this. Shit, I spent eighteen years of my life having it drilled into me that I can never get so emotionally attached to one person. You’ve been in my head, you know better than anyone.” She growled, more ready to turn around and find something to punch or shoot than to walk out into that field.

Relaxing slightly, Wanda ran her eyes over the tense woman in front of her for once not needing her powers to know exactly what was running through her mind.

“You’re scared” she stated, making Natasha eye her warily. “But I don’t understand, when we met you were with Doctor Banner” her soft voice sounded almost Russian making Nat feel strangely comforted, like she was talking to an old friend.

She coughed out a scoff and leaned into the doorframe. “That was nothing like this. It was a trial to see if-if I would be able to be something special for someone. Be _that_ person for them and Banner was such an easy pick with our history – our friendship was always on the edge you know? Ready to tip over. I flipped it into chemistry but well” she tried to hide her grimace with a smile “look how it ended.”

The witch nodded sympathetically. “He was a complicated man Natasha but I think I pushed him to the edge more than you” she ground her heel into the floor, guilt marring her features. “But now _you’re_ stalling. This is Maria. I’ve seen myself the way you feel about her; the intensity, the obsession”

“It's not an _obsession_ ” Nat interjected.

“she’s not an experiment to you – she’s something very real” she continued without a pause, crossing her arms with a newfound determination and narrowing her eyes till they almost disappeared in the thick haze of black eye shadow. “We’ve booked the table so if you don’t ask her to dinner right now Gods help me, I will” she challenged with a smile, looking surprisingly fierce for someone with such a young face.   

“You wouldn’t” Natasha rolled her eyes but found herself straightening up as she eyed the brunette.

“Try me. I'm sure she'd say yes” she teased with a smile

“ _Wanda_ ” Nat warned, trying to glare her down but her efforts bounced off the girl’s smirking face and gleeful brown eyes.

“And she is a beautiful woman, she has cheekbones like a Goddess and have you seen that stomach? I know I have” she grinned, making Romanoff grit her teeth with a threatening frown. “The booking fee has already been transferred so it would be wasteful not to-oh, ok bye!” she grinned, watching Romanoff dart through the door before collecting herself and strolling over to where Agent Hill was eating her lunch. The witch spun on the spot and chewed her knuckle, almost squealing with impatience as she waiting for Romanoff to return.


	8. Wingman - Part 2

Natasha had a knife pressed into her palm at an age where most children weren’t even allowed in the kitchen. She had been ordered to fight girls older than her before her instructors had taught her how – to test her training under pressure – and most times the brawl ended in a draw if not in her favour. Being thrown into the deep end with not much to work with wasn’t a challenge to her, it was what she had grown to expect and any additional help was a blessing.

And yet after literal hours of Wanda coaching her through how to relax and what to say; how she should lead with a compliment and make sure to smile, she still felt like she was walking blindly into something too unpredictable for her to understand. Like leaping into the Ocean without knowing how to swim, naively believing she wouldn’t drown.

She paced on anyway, a desire in her stomach burning with the need to see if Wanda was right – that by tomorrow she could walk passed Maria knowing the other woman was aware of what was on her mind instead of having to smile friendly and hold it in forever. She didn’t know she wanted it so badly till now, for it all to be just out in the open. To not have to hide.  

About 30 feet out from the benches Maria happened to turn and noticed her, her short hair utterly dishevelled as the wind caught it at odd angles. She went back to picking her fork through her food and running fingers through tangled hair as she waited for Romanoff to reach her.

Natasha leapt up to match Maria’s perch, sitting on the top with her feet flat on the seat. 

“Is the world ending again or are you here to keep me company?” Hill probed as she shuffled to make room. Her tone was flippant but genuinely soft around the edges, like it usually was when she talked to Natasha.

“Do we need a Global disaster every time I want to sit with you? Because I have contacts to arrange one"

Maria gave her a very haunted, plea-full look, not quite ready to have her twenty minutes of silence taken away.

"I'm not here to kill your lunch break Maria" she chuckled, "but I would still keep you company if the world was ending” she smiled, stuffing her hands into her pockets as she searched for a way to even start to explain why she really came over.

Maria relaxed, a playful look in her eye. “I’ll hold you to that next time Aliens drop from the sky; we can rendezvoused in my office and drink through my stash in the mini-fridge” she winked around a mouthful of bolognaise, raising her hand too late in an attempt to cover her mouth.  Natasha shrugged, falling into a tense silence that made all of Maria slow down. “How’s the Genesis training going?” she asked casually, running through a list of checks of what could be wrong as Natasha continued to freeze over.

“Fine. Wilson’s a natural actually and Vision’s…well…it’s like he swallowed a SHIELD textbook” she smiled, her nerves tensing with every second she hesitated.

Hill nodded, more than aware of every detail of the newest Avenger’s progress. “You all set for Shanghai? That’s soon right?” she packed away her fork and clipped the slap-lid of the container in place before turning to better face her company.

Natasha’s brow ticked at the gesture, her eyes darkening slightly. “Next Tuesday, it should be ok” she assured, her voice perfectly nonchalant and masking whatever was lying under the surface.

Maria set her food aside and braced her elbows on her knees, eyes skirting the plain but peaceful valley around them as she thought for a few moments. “Did you ever figure out where Liho goes at night?” she asked suddenly, partially out of remembering an old conversation on the secretive life of Natasha’s cat and half from wanting to push the conversation onto something more personal.

Romanoff dropped her head into her hands with a surprised groan. “She has a second family, the sneaky дьявол![devil]"

"What?" Maria startled

"She checks what I’m giving her for dinner then sometimes heads to this apartment of a kid and her mom who live a block away for a better offer.” Natasha had to hand it to her, Liho was her kind of cat. 

Maria’s brow’s rose as she bit back a laugh “Are you serious? You got played by a _cat_?” she grinned, not wanting to admit how many times Liho had snuck up and startled the living crap out of her as she watched Natasha squirm irritably.

“Yes, a cat who is mischief incarnate. Or maybe I’ve just raised her too well” she smiled proudly.

“Hmm yeah I’m sure that’s why it took you  _a month_ to solve the case of the disappearing kitty”

“She can sniff out a spy better than half of your agents, it was damn hard to follow her” she defended, resting her hands behind her and leaning into them. “She’s good at keeping secrets. Even innocent ones.”

“Alright” Hill gave in, “but don’t talk bad about my agents. Strike’s not the same since you left but the team have really pulled it together lately.”

Nat side glanced her. “Yeah its funny how fighting off a Nazi sleeper organisation really brings the lads together.”

Maria chewed her cheek, making Natasha slap her boot against the wooden bench.

“Sorry” her cheeks burned making her want to kick herself. “That was-”

“-true at least. With Rumlow’s lot gone there’s been less complaints and fights” she sighed, pulling her few belonging’s together. “Speaking of Strike, I would love to stay and chat Nat but Echo’s ETA on a Hydra warehouse is in ten minutes so I’ve got to run” she offered an apologetic smile, immediately feeling bad when that mysterious shadow of nervousness crept back into Romanoff’s features. “You free tonight? We can finish this” she gestured around them, hoping to earn a smile.

“I'm not” she grimaced.

“Okay” Maria waived it off, back tracking towards the _Command Room_  side of the building “Some other time then.”

Natasha scrubbed a tense palm over her face as Hill turned and paced away. “You coward” she groaned, leaping up and jogging after her. “Maria!” she called, balling one hand into a fist in her pocket and scraping the hair out of her face with the other.

“Yeah?” Hill startled, amusingly wondering if the red on the smaller woman’s cheeks was from the brisk run or if Romanoff was actually blushing.

“I-um.” She took a breath and forced herself to relax. “I actually came over to ask you something” she admitted, jerking a thumb towards the benches “so uh” she rolled her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she searched for words.  

“Go ahead Nat” Maria gently encouraged, utterly curious as to what could have Natasha Romanoff so tongue tied.

“I-” she took a breath, looking away briefly before offering a flirty smile and pushing through it all in one burst of over confidence “I-know I haven’t been the best at showing it but you mean a lot to me, and I’ve got a reservation for Saturday at a nice restaurant in the city which probably has candles and makes their waiters wear bowties…so it’s probably neither of our scenes” she laughed stupidly “but it’d be great if you could join me for dinner” she finished, trying to not hide behind a blank face and actually let all the nervousness, awkwardness and hope show.

Maria raised an eyebrow, one corner of her mouth pulling up “You already made a reservation?” she tilted her head curiously, making Romanoff chuff.

“A little Red Witch may have done it for me” she shrugged, “so you free Saturday night?” she leered

 

**.      .      .**

 

Wanda hastily pushed off the wall when she saw Natasha coming back but her cheek aching grin slowly faltered as the red head drew closer and her scrunched features became clearer.

“Nat?” she asked tentatively, shuffling forward to meet her. “Crap, what happened?” she fussed, stoking her long fingers over the woman’s shoulder soothingly before stepping forward to pull her into a hug. Romanoff pushed away, chewing her cheek fiercely. Her mouth twitched once as she stared a hole into the ground before she exploded into a happy shit-eating grin.

“She said yes of course” she brushed it off, gloating at the muddle of confusion and surprise on Wanda’s face as she walked around her to get back inside.

“Wh-she…oh you hhmp _h_!” Wanda groaned, laughing excitedly “Did she really?” she pressed, unable to hide the ecstatic bubble in her voice.

Natasha threw her a soft smile. “Yeah really, and it wouldn’t have happened without your help” she shoulder nudged her. “Common, you can pick out an outfit for me and I’ll tell you about it” she decided as she led the way. Wanda’s jittering excitement slowly crept into her as it all sank in and she had to bite her cheek to hold some of it in.

 _Ok_ , Nat gave in. _Maybe having the Scarlet Witch around isn’t so bad._


	9. Seperate Pages

It took Maria a moment longer than usual to notice Natasha leaning against her door frame, her arms were folded across her chest in her classic way while her face squished between moments of deep concentration and an expression that was almost amusement, almost, which make Hill damn self conscious. Maria wanted to say something but since the only thoughts flicking through her mind right now where ‘how did you know I was here?’ and ‘did you seriously get past by apartment’s biolock?’ the brunette decided she wasn’t going to be the first to talk. Natasha already knew she won this round, no need to let her gloat in it. Instead Maria sunk into her desk chair with a sigh and flickered her gaze back to the laptop screen and her hands that were pattering across the keyboard. She was busy scrolling through a draft email and changing around the words to be more…assertive than giving an ‘I’m so sick of Political shit’ vibe. It was tempting to just send the damned thing as it is but the HR head had bashfully spluttered out that interrelations was an area she could really use some work on.

Natasha pushed up and rolled her weight around her ankles lazily while she eyed the study. The plant in the corner was dying and there was a pile of what looked like forgotten photo albums and unsorted hiking gear tucked against the far wall but if it weren’t for that it would be pristine.

She strolled to the desk and – under Hill’s cool supervision – very carefully piled some folders and sheets to the side before perching on the free space and tucking in her legs so they were crossed. The sight of her shoes rubbing the desk made Maria tense but she stayed quiet.  

“What are you doing tonight?” Natasha asked offhandedly, her well focused gaze drinking in every shift of breath from Maria’s body. Ironically enough for the childhood assassin, overthinking was a form of comfort for her. With a lifestyle that gave her a million and one things to worry about, Natasha found throwing herself into the tiny details was the best way to keep her mind busy and push away larger problems.

A pout washed across Maria’s features briefly.

“Probably work. Or having a bit of a movie and wine night if things get really interesting” she humoured with a wink. If she was curious before, she was dying to know what Natasha had to say now.

“Can I make you a better offer?” Natasha teased.

She picked up Hill’s phone. She had barely made two swiping attempts at the lock code before a hasty hand snatched it away.

With a smirk the redhead swiftly started toying with the woman’s pen instead, pulling it back slightly when Maria hesitated at taking that away too.

“And what’s that?” Maria asked cautiously, tucking the phone safely in her pant’s pocket and sending the email only to find another five had piled up in her inbox during that time. She puffed, eyeing the biro spinning between Romanoff’s lithe fingers. She tossed between making a move for the pen or opening the next message, but it was more like picking between a possible near death experience or falling asleep. They both sounded equally tempting and bad right now.

“Me.” Natasha voice purred around her in the quiet room, drawing Maria thoughts to a halt.

Puzzled blue eyes scrunched as they searched Natasha up and down carefully. To make things worse for Hill, Natasha titled her head with a steady, challenging grin as if she knew exactly the kind of mess she had made of Hill’s mind right now. Maria could actually feel her stomach sinking as those lips twisted into a smirk mere inches away from her reach. Well crap.  

“We can keep the wine” Natasha negotiated with a honest nod, leaning further into Maria’s space.

“Don’t play me” Maria shook her head clear. “Where is this coming from?”

“We both know it doesn’t have to mean anything. It’s either you or someone else” Romanoff lays out casually. Her eyes flick between Maria’s before she pushes her weight up and slips across Maria’s lap

Maria frowned disapprovingly at her, utterly surprised. “So I’m exchangeable in this?” she asked hesitantly, not sure if she got this right.

“You’re my first choice” assures, Maria saw white as fingers softly scratched at her neck and those soft lips dragged tauntingly against hers, leaving a buzzing numbness behind.

“If that’s the way things are Nat, then you can go ask that someone else” Maria breaths pushing her off as she swipes the hair out of her eyes and hastily turns her attention back to her work.

Natasha clumsily found her feet, pouting like a child. “Excuse me?”

“Excuse you for what?” Maria asked, raising her brows and picking through a list “breaking into my apartment? Disturbing my work?” She looked accusingly at Romanoff, making the redhead glower.

“Sorry for trying to shake up your routine Hill, you know I’ve never seen you not doing work or on your way to doing work?”

“You don’t see me that often” Maria murmured, “and no one made it your job to take care of my…social life” she grumbled.

“We’ve been friends for five years Maria!”  
“Four” Hill corrected, backspacing everything she had typed. Her eyes didn’t lift from the screen but she could feel Natasha tensing in the space next to her. Romanoff threw her hands up decisively.

“Ok, sorry for being forward. I’ll leave you to it” she drawled lazily. She snapped the pen sharply onto the desk and seeing herself out. Hill fell back in her chair, biting her cheek.

“Don’t get all- we’ve got a good thing going right? Wouldn’t it be better if it didn’t get complicated?”

“Heaven forbid we take a risk here”

Hill sighed tiredly. “What’s wrong Natasha?” She was met with silence. “You need a distraction from something?”

Romanoff searched out the window, the clogs in her mind churning in overdrive for a long while. “I guess I read this wrong” she surrendered. “Forget about it Maria.”

Hill scrubbed at her eyes and turned back to the flat white and blue’s of her piling inbox. As Natasha’s sneakers padded down the corridor of the upper floor, the tension in Hill’s body seemed to coil into her core. Maria wanted it. She wanted it so bad, but not like _this_. “If you get their answering machine you obviously know how to let yourself back in” she blurted loudly. “Movie starts at 8 but I’m not making any promises on the wine lasting till then.” She puffed anxiously, her fingers shaking against the keys.

She swore there was a hesitation in Natasha’s step before she disappeared down the stairs and the front door clicked shut.  

 


End file.
